


If only you'd let me

by Demimiss



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Avatar, Bisexual Zuko (Avatar), Boys In Love, Falling In Love, Jet being a dick and zuko being annoyed with him, Jetko, M/M, Minor Mai/Zuko, Romantic Comedy, kinda fall in love but semi slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:31:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23415994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demimiss/pseuds/Demimiss
Summary: A highschool AU where Zuko and his uncle Iroh move to a new place. Zuko has  a hard time going into a new school again but finds distraction in rugby. That was untill Zuko found out that this dark haired boy who had been annoying him was the captain of the rugby team. Zuko knew that there was no way for him to avoid Jet this  year. He was going to rule his life and Zuko felt like sitting in a corner and crying.
Relationships: jetko - Relationship
Comments: 10
Kudos: 46





	1. Zuko's First day

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there I'm Demi. One of my all time favourite pairings is Jetko and I've always wanted to write a fanfiction about Jet and Zuko in an modern highschool setting/teashop barista ish universe. ( I always loved reading those). I tried to include comedy and cute/angsty moments since I personally love to have a laugh and feel the emotions in stories. I really hope that you enjoy reading my story! I have a lot of chapters done but am still working on this fanfiction so I will upload regurarely. Ahh I'm sorry if it isn't finished fully when you're reading this at first!! ;v; I wanted to know how well it was percieved for the public before finishing completely.
> 
> Perspective changes are shown by (-) sign. Then we switch from Zuko to Jet for a moment.
> 
> Since English isn't my native languegue I'm open to any feedback and I'm sorry if it reeds a bit rusty.(please keep that in mind while reading :<) I tried my best to write as clean and correctly as I could. Any love for this story is welcome!
> 
> Anyways, I hope that you have fun reading! :) >> This fic is also on wattpad! https://www.wattpad.com/story/218854921-jetko-if-only-you%27d-let-me

Zuko wakes up to the sound of his alarm at 07:00 am. He tries to open his eyes, and reached out for the alarm to shut it off. He goes with his fingers through his new haircut which was rather short, shorter than he ever had, at least. He often has a morning routine in which he exercises to maintain his muscular body. It wasn't like his almost fully defined sixpack was a must to have but it looked nice and he liked to have a relatively muscular body. He stays in bed for just a little longer than normal and gets out of bed to exercise and get dressed. Today was the big day. He was going to a new school, again. He and his uncle have been moving a lot lately ever since his... accident with his father. He hates his dad and he hates the fact that they had to move to another school. As if that wasn't bad enough, he even had to work in his uncle's tea shop that recently opened as a barista. Zuko made his way down the stairs once dressed and greets his uncle who is drinking his homemade tea.

"Ah Morning Zuko! I hope that you're excited to meet new people, I'm sure that this day is going to be great. Look even the weather is nice!" Iroh points at the window while taking another sip of his tea.

Zuko rolls his eyes while packing his breakfast for the day.

"Tsk, Uncle it's another new school, there's nothing good about this." Zuko hated being the center of attention every time he entered the classroom since everyone was going to be staring at his scar. They always did. They also always asked him about it, which was something he really didn't want to talk about.

Iroh knits his brows together at the grumpy response of his nephew.

"Come on Zuko, not everyone is going to judge you for that, give other people a chance today and make some friends."

"Sure whatever" Zuko waved his hand over his shoulder to his uncle as he left the door to go to school. It wasn't that far from his house, he walked for 10 minutes until he arrived at the gate. The school wasn't looking too bad he had seen worse but he just didn't feel like this was going to be a wonderful experience. As he passed the hallway to the classroom he saw a brown haired sun kissed tinted muscular boy around the age of 19 standing near the classroom. He looked like the edgy type that only caused trouble wearing a leather jacket and jeans with holes at his knees, rough leather boots and a toothpick in his mouth? The dark brown-haired boy looked at Zuko and gave him a pleasant glance while twisting the toothpick around in his mouth. As Zuko neared the door of the classroom to pass the teen he took out his toothpick from his mouth and blocked the door while scanning him from head to toe.

"So fresh meat huh? I haven't seen you around here and I'm pretty sure that I would remember such a big scar on someone's face. Now tell me how did that happen?"

"It's none of your fucking business, now get out of my way." Zuko hissed while pushing through the boy into the classroom.

Somehow the teen didn't seem too bothered with Zuko's response and let him pass freely to his surprise which seemed a bit off since he didn't look like the type that would just let anyone mess with him but Zuko shrugged it off and took a seat. It turns out that his gut feeling was right since the teen came towards him and sat right behind him leaning forward almost breathing into Zuko's neck.

"The name's Jet by the way and you look like someone who could be rather useful and serious. Can you tackle someone hard? I still need one of those in my team." Jet smiled at him fiddling with the toothpick in his mouth. Zuko immediately turned around almost collapsing into the teen's face.

"Why the hell would I be useful to you? I don't want anything to do with you just fuck off!."

"Aww don't react so heated up or your face might become even redder, you wouldn't want that now, would you? It's pretty embarrassing." The teen said with a smirk while tilting his head.

Zuko felt the rage burning up inside his stomach and felt his hands formed fists ready to punch that jerk in his face, but as he was about to do so the teacher came into the room.

"Okay class, I want to introduce you to a new student who is starting here today. Please welcome him. Now can you maybe introduce yourself to the class."

He slowly turned around leaving the satisfied smug on Jet's face and looked down at his table. He always introduced himself shortly since he didn't want to reveal anything more than his name and his age since it wasn't anyone's business where he came from or what he was doing.

"I'm Zuko and I'm 19 years old." Shit, now that bastard knows my name, fucking great he thought to himself.

"Ah okay thank you Zuko, now class let's start our English lesson in chapter 12." The teacher wrote on the whiteboard while some students gave Zuko frowned looks when opening their books. He was used to it really since his scar was something a lot of people looked at whenever he was out on the streets. Besides he wasn't here to make friends especially not with that asshole "Jet". As the day went by Zuko tried to avoid contact with the other students, his day was already ruined after all and he just wanted to go home.

At lunchtime, Zuko had been sitting alone which was just fine for him. As he was about to eat the cafeteria food he looked up only to see Jet and his posse sitting two tables away from him. He seemed to be admired by many like the typical popular guy surrounded by girls and other boys that looked just as shitty as him, Zuko hated those types since they seemed to act out of their league. Zuko didn't notice that he was staring their way until Jet made eye contact with Zuko and smiled at him with a smug on his face as if he thought that someone just checked him out and tried his best to let the other person know. This dipshit thought that it was okay to make eye contact and Zuko wasn't having any of it so he frowned his brows angrily and looked away while shoving the food in his mouth. It was gross but it had to do for now, after his lunch he went to walk back to his last class of the day which was Math.

As Zuko was walking down the hallway he had a view of the sports field of the school. It was pretty big and seemed like they had a professional rugby court by the looks of the structure of the field and the cheerleaders practicing at the edge of the field. This was a good thing since Zuko liked playing rugby. He personally wasn't a big fan of team sports but rugby was something in which he could go all out and steam off some anger which made rugby somewhat fun.

He already applied to the team and his practice was tomorrow, it was the only thing that seemed to be a highlight of his school year since it was the one thing that he genuinely seemed to enjoy no matter how many schools he switched. Even though he never really made close friends in the team that didn't seem to slow down his performance in the team play but before he could blow off some steam in rugby tomorrow he first had to survive his math lesson.

Zuko was relieved to hear the school bell ring and immediately left to go home as quickly as possible since he didn't want to run into any unwanted encounter with a certain someone. Once Zuko got home he changed into his working clothes wrapping an apron around his waist and joined his uncle in the Teashop downstairs to start his workday as a barista.

"Ah, Zuko! How was your first day at school?" Iroh asked while heating up some tea.

Zuko gave Iroh a disrespectful glance "It was absolutely fucking wonderful today Uncle."

Iroh knit his brows in confusion and sadness at his nephew's words but took the hint to leave Zuko alone for some time. He often took the hint when his nephew reacted in a sarcastic manner and knew that it was better to leave him alone.


	2. iroh's Teashop

Zuko was behind the desk to take orders of a few customers in the shop. The orders were simple requests so far and nothing that special to make which sometimes annoyed Zuko because time would go by slowly when he finished a few orders of just plain and basic tea with a simple flavor. He brought the last two orders at the table in the corner of the shop near two big windows. As he stood behind the counter to clean up the desk he heard loud laughter coming from outside the shop. As he looked up he saw Jet standing outside with his friends and his eyes widened. Why in the hell was he here as if this day couldn't get any worse Jet was in front of his uncle's tea shop. Zuko prayed in his head that they didn't come inside.

He quickly finished cleaning and was looking at the posse outside to see whether they were going to leave but it was too late, as Zuko looked up, his eyes met Jet's glaring into the window eyeing him with a wide grin on his face. Shit shit shit SHIT, Zuko cursed under his breath and his expression was filled with annoyance.

He wanted to magically disappear when Jet and his posse entered the teashop and his eyes searched for his uncle to cover for him but Iroh was nowhere to be seen.

"Ah, Look everyone if it isn't Zuko, I didn't know that you worked in the new shop. You know I think this might be my new favorite place to hang." Jet smirked while approaching the desk and playfully glared at Zuko.

"If you don't want to order anything, do me a fucking favor and leave! It's already annoying enough to see you at school." Zuko scowled at the Teen.

"Aww, is that so? Well, how about you give me your favorite drink? hmm?" Jet fiddled his toothpick around while he smiled and leaned over the desk. Which made Zuko want to pour hot water over his shitty face, but this gave him an excuse to mess up his drink without making a scene in the shop. He nodded and went to make the shittiest tea that ever existed. Zuko combined lemon and milk, that way the lemon will curdle with the milk. Once he was done he went over the table where Jet and his posse sat down and placed the cup in front of Jet.

"Here you go asshole, I hope that you like it." Zuko smirked with a grin on his face well knowing that Jet was going to blast out the coffee as soon as he tried to drink it. Jet took the cup in his hand and proceeded to take a sip while smiling. Zuko couldn't wait for Jet's reaction but somehow Jet didn't make any expression except for that everlasting smirk on his face.

"Nice try pretty boy but you don't get me to embarrass myself in front of you that easily." Jet winked at Zuko and started to talk to the rest of his posse who were looking at their phones. Zuko's jaw dropped slightly at the response, he was so impressed and in disbelief by the fact that Jet didn't bother his almost poisonous tea that he forgot to lash out to that ridiculous wink. This asshole has guts - is what he thought to himself as he walked back to the counter.

He did, however, hear one of Jet's friends say "I see that you've got a new target Jet, but I don't think that he's interested. Maybe you should leave him alone." Jet gave him an annoyed glance and told him that he was allowed to talk to whoever he wanted. Zuko thought that the guy probably referred to the question Jet asked him before about him being useful.

Zuko continued his shift with other customers and as time went by he felt Jet eyeing him while he was cleaning. He tried to give Jet an annoyed glance every now and then but that shit head didn't drop his silly smile from his face whenever he did make eye contact. If it weren't for his uncle he would've kicked Jet and his posse out as soon as they entered the shop but sadly for him his uncle would get furious if he did and Zuko didn't want to live through that reaction.

"Is that your friend Zuko?" Iroh glanced over at the dark-haired teen smiling at them. When Zuko looked up to see who it was he cursed under his breath.

"No, he's an asshole that I met at school and never want to talk to ever again and he knows that I dislike him. Could we please, for once make an exception and kick him and his posse?." Zuko looked desperately at his uncle with an expression that had please written all over it.

"Oh Zuko, what has he done to you that made you so mad? Besides the way that he's smiling at you suggests otherwise. Why don't you invite him over to have tea with us sometime?" Iroh laughed at his nephew.

"NO WAY, uncle did you even listen to anything I just said?!" Zuko scowled. Iroh looked at his nephew in irony and sighed. "Okay, but just give him a chance, I think that he might be more alike than you think at first glance. Besides you are very difficult to approach, I'm already happy that this guy had the guts to do so!" Iroh let out a slight laugh while Zuko looked at him in disgrace. He couldn't go against this argument since his uncle had a point even though he didn't want to openly admit that. He was so focused on the conversation that he hadn't noticed that Jet and his posse had left. He was somewhat confused since he at least expected Jet to say something silly when he'd leave but at least he was finally free of the teen's endless smiles.

Once they were closed Zuko headed out to the back to clean the trash, he was carrying two heavy bags. The back of the shop was in a backstreet where the lights were dim and the smell of garbage was strong. As he was nearing the container his mind was all over the place, what did Jet want from him and should he give Jet a chance to become friends with him or whatever he was trying to achieve. Zuko's mind kept spinning in circles and he didn't pay attention to the garbage sack that was almost slipping away from his weakened grip and it almost slipped out of his hand. Then out of nowhere a dark tinted hand reached out to support the bag as he was about to give in, Zuko turned his head around quickly to see who approached him and was surprised at the sight of a brown-tinted hand and a friendly smile of Jet.

"There you go, Those look heavy, here let me help you." Jet continued to push the sacks into the container. Zuko backed off a bit and kept a close eye on the dark-haired teen. He finally was done with work and now there was Jet helping him as if one whole day of Jet wasn't enough.

"First of all I don't need your help and second of all are you stalking me or something? You just happen to be here when I was doing the garbage after work?" Zuko scowled.

"Jeez, not even a thank you? man, you are so hard to please." Jet said while letting out a disappointed sigh. " Whatever, I'll see you tomorrow pretty boy." The dark-haired teen smirked and proceeded to leave without waiting for Zuko's answer.

"Hey! Don't call me pretty boy and don't talk to me tomorrow!" Zuko screamed angrily after Jet who had almost turned around the corner. He was so done with this boy, what did he want from him anyway. Forget about becoming friends, Jet was straight-up stalking him. This isn't funny anymore it's creepy is what Zuko thought to himself as he went upstairs into their apartment above the teashop. It was already 12 pm and he needed to get up early in the morning for practice. He took a quick shower and gets into bed. As Zuko is laying in bed he can't go to sleep, his mind keeps running off to the way Jet stared at him during his work shift. He can't point his finger at the exact reason why Jet seems to be so interested in talking to him and being in his presence. What did he want from him? did he want Zuko to join him and his posse to supposedly beat someone up since he asked him about his ability to tackle someone? Zuko's mind dwelled on those questions for a few more minutes before he fell asleep.


	3. Rugby Practice

The next morning he got his rugby clothes stuffed in a sports bag and was heading on his way to the sports field. As he walked by the field to go the dressing rooms he saw some cheerleaders practicing near the edge of the field. There was a brown-haired girl doing a flip, she seemed to be very acrobatic. Zuko watched as her braid swept around like a whip whenever the other cheerleaders would throw her in the air. Then his eyes fell on the girl holding the foot of the other cheerleader steady. She had slick black hair with bangs and her hair was tied into a high ponytail. She had a very serious expression on her face. Zuko wondered what it would look like if she smiled, he thought that she was very pretty. As he almost neared the cheerleaders to get into the dressing room, the black-haired girl glanced at him and their eyes met. Zuko gave her a small smile and quickly looked away, he didn't know if she smiled back because he was too embarrassed to keep eye contact. When he opened the door of the dressing room the scent of deodorant and sweat welcomed him. It was a medium-sized room and there were two benches in the middle surrounded by lockers and a door to the toilet/showers.

Zuko put down his bag and opened his locker in order to put his rugby gear in place, he was very early as the practice was about to start in 30 minutes. As he took off his shirt while facing the blue lockers he heard someone enter the room and when he turned around to greet the fellow teammate his eyes widened and he wanted to scream. It was Jet. Of fucking course, HE was in the fucking rugby team too. Zuko thought of multiple ways to convince his uncle to move schools since he was not going to survive this year, this was the one thing he loved to do and now it was fucking ruined.

"Look at that sixpack! I knew that you would be useful to our team and I was thrilled when I heard that you applied to our rugby team. I can't wait to see your skills."Jet grinned while scanning Zuko's muscular body with a pleased expression.

"Are you fucking kidding me, god you know what? I'll fucking destroy you in practice today If you keep on talking to me. So just fuck off and leave me alone." Zuko hissed at Jet while changing into his gear.

"Haha alright pretty boy, show me what you've got since it's inevitable to not communicate in the field. Oh and one more thing don't hold back, I'd love to see your real strength." Jet replied with a wink and a smile. Which fueled Zuko with anger and annoyance.

"Oh, you bet that I'm going all out Jet." Zuko scowled while lifting up his head. If looks could kill Jet would've been dead already. Zuko left the room as soon as possible and started to stretch and run to warm up already while the rest of the team started to arrive as well. He greeted a few of them and they seemed nice, way better than Jet anyway. As the other players got onto the field the coach approached and they all lined up. The coach looked around the age of 50, he wasn't looking too athletic himself his name was Darren.

"Alright team, Listen up last year we almost lost from Ahi high school. This year I want you to be even better than last year. Can ya'll do that?" The captain stated revolutionary.

"Yes, coach!" is what the teammates yelled.

"Alright now a word from your team captain and then we'll get to training." Darren said while looking at Jet.

Jet stepped forward and Zuko's stomach turned. HE was the captain of the team and he knew that there was no way for him to avoid Jet this school year. He was going to rule his life and Zuko felt like sitting in a corner and crying. Even though he hated Jet he did notice his muscular thighs in white pants with his red with yellow numbered rugby gear and he looked rather strong but nothing Zuko couldn't beat on the field.

"Alright team, just like last year I do have a lot in faith in you guys. All of you performed well and never let me down, you're a team I can count on at any time and I'm proud to be your captain. Let the games begin and let us bring back the trophy once again!" Jet spoke with much confidence and the team seemed all fired up and ready to practice. He could somehow see why Jet was the team captain since he definitely had leadership skills which Zuko painfully admitted to himself.

"Before we start practice I want to introduce our newest asset to the team Zuko! He will be playing wing position. I'm looking forward to the contribution and value you'll bring to the team!" Jet said smiling at Zuko. His tone annoyed Zuko but he nodded and thanked the coach and the players for having him. After that, they started with passing and handling drills for 10 minutes. It went well, passing the ball was something Zuko always had a feel for and did quite well. He was also always praised for his stamina and speed to move through opponents, he could use brute force but often he was better at dodging others than straight-up tackling them which was perfect for a winger. He could use his speed to finish the attack.

As they were having a 10-minute break from practicing the cheerleader team walked by. The girl Zuko had seen before looked at him from the side of the field. He waved at her, she waved back and made a gesture that suggested to come closer. Zuko got confused for a moment but walked towards her.

"Hey, I haven't seen you around here are you new?" She said with a slight smile.

"Yes, I just moved here with my uncle. I'm Zuko by the way, I saw you practicing this morning it was pretty impressive." Zuko felt his heartbeat raise at the sight of her smile.

"Ah, nice to meet you Zuko I'm Mai. Ah, thank you, in all honesty, I joined the cheerleader team out of boredom and thought that it couldn't hurt. My friend Ty Lee was already on the team and introduced me to cheerleading." Mai replied while looking a bit flushed.

"INCOMING!"

A ball hit the back of Zuko's gear and he turned around in anger.

"WTF!? watch where you're throwing!" Zuko hissed in anger. Once he saw the smug on Jet's face he knew it was planned.

"Ahh sorry my bad, maybe you should pay more attention to me next time" Jet grinned while giving Zuko a wink.

"If you throw at me one more time I'll make sure that you'll never be able to throw again you asshole." Zuko's face almost turned red of anger as he pushed Jet out of his way.

"My my, it was just an accident. Oh was that a threat? I'd like to see you try." Jet smirked and he let out a silly giggle while walking back to the team. The practice was about to continue and Zuko didn't want to leave Mai without saying goodbye. He turned around to face her as he walked away slowly.

"I guess I'll see you around?" Zuko said while putting a hand on the back of his neck.

"Yeah, see you around Zuko." Mai showed a broader smile and walked away.

Zuko felt his heart skip a beat and he ran back to his other teammates. As he neared his team Jet looked at him in an expression that he hadn't seen before. He was standing near his posse but he wasn't smiling he looked somewhat irritated, but not enough to make it too obvious. Zuko felt a stroke of confusion coming over him since he was pretty sure that Jet enjoyed pestering him, maybe he was just jealous of the fact that such a pretty cheerleader was interested in him. That thought made a grin appear on his face. Jet seemed to be busy talking to one of his friends, he heard them talking when he ran by and wondered if they spoke about him and Mai.

-

"Jet let this one go, he's clearly not interested in you besides he seems to dislike you which is understandable from his point of view. Why do you always fall for these types of guys?" One of his posse members said. His name was Benny but his nickname was smellerbee. Jet let out an annoyed groan in response to smellerbee and eyed at Zuko with pure frustration while gridding his teeth as Zuko passed by with a grin on his face.

"I know smellerbee.. but there's something about him that I just can't let go." Jet said while looking down at his shoes and lifts his arm to get rid of the sweat on his forehead.

"Whatever suit yourself but just know that I've warned you." smellerbee pat Jet on the back to show his empathy for the frustrated teen, however, Jet felt like whoever he liked was out of his reach or totally not according to his wishes. He has dated different guys in the past before but Zuko felt like he had experienced the same kind of past as him due to his scar. It felt like Zuko would understand him more than anyone else and therefore Zuko was special to him. Even though he seemed to dislike Jet which was upsetting really but Jet felt the need to get closer to Zuko nonetheless and them working together in this team was perfect for that. Even if he could just be friends with Zuko it would be fine.

-

Finally, it was time for tackling practice. Something which Zuko had waited for since he knew that Jet was on the rugby team. He could finally hit the shit out of him for fun. For this exercise Zuko was an attacker and Jet was a defender and they were assigned to colors which the coach could call out to how many defenders are coming forward to stop the attacker with the ball. Darren the coach called out Zuko and Jet's position and Zuko didn't hesitate he ran as fast as he could to surpass him. Jet, on the other hand, tackled him with brut force and Zuko flew down pinned on the ground. Jet held onto him a bit too tightly for Zuko's liking, he was almost like a rock that couldn't be moved. Zuko was impressed by the strength that Jet possessed. Even though he'd never admit this Zuko gained a little bit of respect for Jet's abilities in rugby.

"You can fucking let go of me now." Zuko hissed at the Teen who grinned while getting up slowly. 

"I thought that you weren't going easy on me Zuko?"Jet grinned while he reached out a hand to help Zuko up but he pushed away Jet's hand while getting up. He didn't need Jet's help anyway.

"Good job Jet, as usual, you never seem to let me down. Alright, Zuko maybe you can try to focus on Jet's tackle position next time. But your speed, on the other hand, is just fine." Darren said while pointing at the two teens. Zuko felt horrible, he had to watch Jet? ugh, never he thought to himself. Working with Jet was harder then it seemed but it became more and more obvious as their practice continued why Jet was the captain of the team. He hated the fact that Jet was so all round and knew his craft so well.


	4. The dressingroom

After practice was over they returned to the dressing rooms. Most of the team players took a shower and Zuko changed out of his gear and walked towards the shower to clean himself quickly from the sweat. The room was open and there wasn’t a private room to shower, he turned on the shower and grabbed some shampoo to wash his sweaty and sticky hair. Most of the other members had left the shower and as he looked around to see who was still in the room he saw a silhouette standing a few showers away from him. He could only see the posture of a muscular man since it was relatively steamy in the showers but as the fog cleared in the air it wasn’t to his surprise that it was Jet. He leaned with one arm to the wall and looked at Zuko with a smile. He went through his hair with his other hand while lifting his head upwards. He looked better with his hair back is what Zuko thought to himself but quickly got rid of that thought since he didn’t want to compliment the dark-haired teen at all.

Jet turned off his shower, grabbed a towel and put it around his waist and dried his hair. He kept looking at Zuko and walked near him handing over a towel.

“Here, I was impressed with your performance of speed today, I’m looking forward to your performance in-game.” Jet said while smiling. Zuko wanted to ignore him but something about Jet seemed genuine about his performance today and he didn’t want to be punished for giving him a nosebleed on school ground.

“Thanks, I guess” Zuko answered quietly while accepting the towel. Jet returned a smile and walked away. Zuko’s eyes widened at the sight of Jet’s back, even though it was muscular it had a big scar going diagonally over his back. He felt like his uncle was right all along, that scar wasn’t just something you’d get from rugby. He acted without thinking and grabbed Jet’s wrist to stop him from walking. Jet looked surprised and shocked at Zuko’s sudden behavior. 

“Y-your scar... ” Zuko breathed out. It’s all he managed to say since he quickly realized what he was doing and acted without thinking. He almost felt guilty for judging Jet so quickly while that scar was definitely something that was life changing and he knew how life changing that could be. Jet’s expression softened and he turned around further to face Zuko, he let out a slight laugh and looked away for a second then licked his teeth with his tongue while thinking. He looked back at Zuko and his smile widened as he met his golden like amber eyes.

“Fine, I’ll tell you my story. So when I was younger my dad used to abuse my mom and beat me up too. It was a very toxic man and I would sometimes step up for my mother as a young boy. Then one day when I stood up for her he decided to punish me by hitting me with a belt on my back to learn me a lesson. He continued to do that every time I’d step up for my mom so over time it created a scar. After that, my parents got in a car accident when I was about 13 years old so I became an orphan and now I live with a foster family. So now you pretty much know my story.” Jet looked relieved and let out a small smile. Zuko didn’t know how to feel.. he wanted to apologize and tell him that he knows what it’s like to go through something so heavy, but he couldn’t find the words. Maybe his uncle was right, after all, they were more alike than he imagined.

“... I- I’m sorry for you... I know what it’s like” Zuko finally admitted after a few minutes of silence.

“I know you do, may I?” Jet’s voice was soft and quiet, he raised his hand to be near Zuko’s head, ready to touch his scar. Zuko stared at him for a moment of uncertainty. He could feel his heart beating in his throat and proceeded to give a slight nod. He felt like it was the least he could do after Jet opened up to him about his past. Jet proceeded to study his scar and very gently and carefully cupped his cheek while sliding a thumb over Zuko’s scar to feel the burned flesh. It felt somewhat nice to have someone touch it in such a careful and delicate way, no one ever touched his scar or well was even allowed to. Not even his uncle did, only when he needed certain treatment or when it hurt but never like Jet just did. Zuko didn’t notice that he almost leaned into Jet’s touch with his face, he quickly stopped himself for leaning in any further. Jet took his hand back and Zuko took a deep breath.

“When I was about your age, my dad also used to abuse my mom because she tried to defend me. He always thought of me as a failure and made me do ridiculous things to become stronger. My sister, on the other hand, was always praised for her behavior. When I told him that I didn’t want to take over his empire of a business he burned my face with hot boiling water and kicked me out of the house. My uncle then took me in and adopted me and we’ve been traveling ever since. ” Zuko looked down at the water dripping down from his hair to his feet when he was done speaking.

“Thank you for sharing your story with me Zuko, I truly appreciate that and I understand how hard that must’ve been for you, now shall we go get dressed? or else we might miss our classes.” Jet’s voice was very soft and gentle again and it relieved the air of the tense sphere. Zuko nodded and followed him out of the showers. He felt like Jet knew what to say to him as if he knew that Zuko wasn’t ready to elaborate on it more then he already had. As they stepped out of the shower both of them got dressed and went back to school to follow their final lessons of the day.

Once Zuko got home he sat down at the table in the cantine of the teashop. He looked down at the teacup on the table, it was almost empty. He kept thinking about Jet’s touch. He can’t precisely give himself a valid reason as to why and the way that Jet touched his scar was so gentle and felt surprisingly nice?. Jet turned out to be so different than he expected since he always acted so tough and silly but the story behind his scar was so similar to his. Then his uncle entered the room and looked at him with a questionable face, he knew his nephew well enough to know that something was up.

“Did something happen at school Zuko? You seem to be thinking strongly about someone. Might I guess that it’s your friend? What’s his name anyway.” Iroh said with a polite smile. Zuko hated the fact that his uncle knew him so well. 

“Well, I … I let someone well... Jet, touch my scar today... and I might have told him about what happened. Turns out you were right after all he’s more like me then I thought.” Zuko spoke quietly almost like a whisper and fiddled with his hands on the fabric of his shirt. Iroh’s eyes widened and he almost dropped the tea he had in his hand.

“I-I see! so you finally opened up to someone about it. To be honest with you Zuko” Iroh sat next to his nephew and put a hand on his shoulders. “ I think that that’s great. You see, sharing your story with someone can be a relief, keeping it in can eat you away from the inside and sometimes being open to someone who has been through the same experience can be very nice. Especially since Jet seems to be like someone who’d understand you and who can support you. I’m very proud of you Zuko.” Iroh looked at his nephew in a loving caring manner and his hand tightened around his shoulder. The words of his uncle did Zuko well and he embraced him in a hug.

“Thank you, Uncle, I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Zuko smiled while embracing him and they stayed like that for a few more seconds. “Maybe you should invite Jet to come and have dinner with us tomorrow. I planned on making a big meal anyway and I’d love to meet him sometime.” Iroh said with a smile.

“I don’t know if that -” Zuko sighed and rolled his eyes when his uncle looked at him in a way that said suggested that if he didn’t do it his uncle would the next time Jet would visit the tea shop. “Okay fine, just this once.” Zuko blurted out in an annoying tone. His uncle laughed and patted him on the back while going back into the shop to serve tea. Zuko took out his phone and opened the group chat that was created for his class. He scrolled down the list of numbers and added Jet to his contacts, he started texting:

18:30 - Zuko - Hey, Zuko here, my uncle is making a big meal tomorrow and he asked if you wanted to eat with us around 17:00 at the Teashop. If you can’t come that’s totally fine.

18:32 - Jet - Heyy ;), Is that a date? I’d love to eat with you.

18:34 - Zuko - You know I could just tell my Uncle that you said no and that you couldn’t come. -.-

18:35 - Jet - Haha, I’ll be there, I wouldn’t dare to let you down. Thank your uncle for the invitation. I can’t wait ;)

18:40 - Zuko - Ok

Zuko put his phone away while rolling his eyes and he already regretted ever telling his uncle about the things he shared with Jet. This was the silly side of him. Zuko almost forgot about that after their last encounter. He put his phone away and tied his apron around his waist. It wasn’t as busy as yesterday and Zuko didn’t have that much to do. Sometimes he’d read a magazine or a book that he was interested in to pass the time. He was reading a sports magazine today, it had plenty of information about his favorite players and he genuinely enjoyed reading upon the information.

He dozed in a trance while reading and hadn’t noticed that a customer was about to approach the desk. His uncle quickly put an elbow against his back to signal Zuko that there was someone about to approach him. Zuko looked up quickly and put the magazine away to greet the customer standing in front of him. He was shocked to see that it was Mai.

“H-hey, What would you like to order and how are you doing by the way?” Zuko asked nervously, not really knowing where to look.

“I’m good, I’ So did you recently start working here? Also, I’d like a cappuccino.” Mai smiled a little while looking at some keys she was holding in her hand.

“Ah no, It’s actually my uncle’s shop he always wanted his own teashop so when this place was free he immediately bought the place. I’ve worked with him ever since we opened.” Zuko stated while getting a cup ready for Mai’s order. 

“I see, May I ask you if you have time to maybe hang out with me tomorrow, there’s this new restaurant in town and I heard that they served great food. Ty Lee doesn’t really like going to restaurants so I figured maybe you’d like to go?” Mai looked a bit flushed with red.

“Eh I-I ehm Yes, I mean I-I can’t tomorrow but wednesday is fine. If you still have time then..” Zuko nervously replied while scratching his neck. He’d almost forgotten that Jet was coming over tomorrow for dinner. If only Jet had said no he would have been able to go out with Mai tomorrow. He hoped that she had time on wednesday.

“That’s fine I’ll be waiting outside of the tea shop at 4 pm. ” Mai said while her eyes lit up with joy.

“Alright, here you go one cappuccino. See you then” Zuko smiled while handing over the cup for Mai, she left while giving him a small smile. Her order was takeaway so she didn’t stay for long sadly. Zuko heard his uncle laugh behind him and he gave him a questionable look.  
“Ah Zuko, you seem to be very popular with the ladies as usual but she doesn’t seem to be the only one interested in you” Iroh smirked with a wink. Zuko felt even more confused than he already was.

“Who else? what are you talking about uncle?” Zuko curiously asked while scanning the teashop to see if there was another girl looking into his direction. His uncle smirked while giving him a look that showed ‘you damn well know who I mean’ expression while walking away and Zuko rolled his eyes while continuing his shift. Why did his uncle always tease him like this? besides that, he seriously had no idea who else his uncle meant, he thought that it was some random girl in the shop who happened to look his way when he was talking to Mai.

The next day at school was relatively boring, he followed his usual classes. Nothing interesting happened today and on his way home he thought about his dinner with Jet tonight or well with him and his uncle. If you’d asked him two days ago If Jet could come for dinner he would’ve never agreed to it but he felt like somehow he and Jet had become closer ever since that moment. It was weird since they weren’t really friends or anything but Zuko didn’t hate him as much as before. He couldn’t really explain what it was especially since he had been crazy enough to let Jet touch his scar. In all honesty, he didn’t want to read too much into it. Besides having him over for one dinner wouldn’t hurt.

As soon as he got home his uncle was already preparing the food. It smelled very nice, it was rice cooked with chicken and other vegetables. His uncle was always good at cooking too, Zuko loved it when he did whenever he was younger. His uncle would usually cook for him and his sister since his dad was always busy. 

“Ah, Zuko! You came just in time to help me to get the table ready. Could you get some of the plates in the top drawer for me please?” Iroh smiled at his nephew. Zuko nodded and continued to grab the plates and placed them on the round table. The plates were red with gold details, his uncle loved detailed specifications. Zuko always thought that it was unimportant since as long as he could eat it didn’t matter if the plates were fancy or not. 

“You know Zuko, ever since you had that conversation with Jet you seem to be happier. Even though you don’t show a broad smile on your face I can sense that you have changed slightly” Iroh smiled at his nephew.

“Don’t be ridiculous uncle, I haven’t changed a bit. Yes, I admit that it felt good to talk with Jet but that doesn’t mean that I-” As he wanted to finish his sentence he was interrupted by a loud knock on the window. It was Jet who was standing outside with that ridiculous toothpick in his mouth. Zuko let him in and walked him towards the table.

“Welcome Jet! Please take a seat and make yourself feel at home, we were just talking about how my nephews been better ever since you came around” Iroh smiled at the teen and playfully winked at Zuko.

“Thanks a lot for inviting me, I’ve never really eaten somewhere else so I’m really curious to see what we’re going to eat and oh is that so? how sweet of him, he seems to get the best out of me while playing rugby.” Jet smiled at Iroh. He sat down in between Zuko and Iroh and placed his toothpick on the napkin on the table. Zuko threw daggers at his uncle with his eyes.

“ Yeah, so I’ve heard that you play rugby, have you been playing for long?” Iroh asked while putting some rice on Jet’s plate.

“Ah, so he has told you about my rugby skills, haha, well you see back when I was younger I loved to play rugby. It was something that kept me from thinking and I used it to blow off steam every now and then. As I did it for fun I became better and better and eventually, in high school, they promoted me to captain. I’ve been doing it for 4 years now I think.” Jet smiled while looking at Zuko.

“I see, they must really trust you then to make you team captain. I’ve been told that you also seem to be very understanding of my nephew. I’m really glad that you guys get along since my nephew is not the easiest to get along with.” Iroh winked at Zuko.

“Ohh is that so did Zuko tell you about me? How sweet, I’m honored to be friends with him.” Jet smirked at Zuko.

“Uncle please stop” Zuko hissed under his breathe while giving his uncle a death glare and he continued to push food in his mouth. Of course his uncle and Jet got along with teasing him.

“Jeez Zuko, I didn’t know that you were such a sloppy eater, let me help you.” Jet said laughingly while gently wiping away some rice near Zuko’s cheek with his thumb. He didn’t leave any room for Zuko to protest or reply. This felt weird, Zuko didn’t know why. He wanted to hate it but Jet touched his face with such care that he couldn’t bring out any protest. It was almost magic like his face was glued to Jet’s fingers. It was probably because they had been through the same experience is what Zuko said to himself. After all, he was going out with Mai tomorrow. When the dinner was done Jet thanked Iroh and Zuko for their hospitality and Zuko walked Jet to the door.

“Your uncle is a very wise and kind man, I’m happy that I was invited tonight. I had a good time Zuko I hope that you did too.” Jet smiled very gently.

“eh, I-I did too” Zuko replied quietly. There was a silence and Jet looked at him as if there was something he was waiting for. The air was cold and Zuko could see Jet’s breathe in the air.

“Zuko..” Jet took a deep breathe before he continued “would you like to meet after practice Thursday? There’s something that I’d like to show you.” Jet wasn’t smiling, no playfulness in his expression. He was looking very doubting and worried, it was an expression that Zuko hadn’t seen before at least not at school. He wasn’t sure as to what to answer, one side of him wanted to go and was curious as to what Jet had to show him but he also felt like there was something that Jet didn’t directly tell him. Which worried Zuko since he wasn’t sure what it was that made him think of Jet as an exception to touch his face.

“I don’t know.. what do you want to show me?” Zuko replied hesitantly. Jet titled his head slightly in his response and then a grin covered his face.

“You silly, If I tell you then It’s not a surprise anymore is it.” Jet smirked. He seemed to be back to his normal self with his silly response which was to Zuko’s relief.

“I see, well alright I’ll go with you then. Just don’t waste my time okay.” Zuko replied annoyingly. 

“Me? I wouldn’t dare to waste your time pretty boy.” Jet laughed “See you tomorrow at school~” Jet smiled while walking away. Zuko rolled his eyes in response and then gave him a nod of goodbye. As he closed the door behind him he felt like he should have said yes right away… Jet seemed to go out of his comfort zone to ask him that question. 

“Zuko, that boy Jet seems to be very patient with you. I think that he can be a very good friend. Does he by any chance have a girlfriend?” Iroh observed his nephew as he sat down at the table.

“What? How the hell would I know?” Zuko scowled at his uncle. He didn’t know why his uncle was interested in that but now that he thought about it he’s never seen Jet close with any girl, not even at the dinner tables at school. Girls did seem to be interested in him but he’s never seen him interact with them in that way. His mind ran in circles and some thoughts crossed his mind while he was thinking of recent events.

“Wait… you don’t think that he’s” - “Interested in you?” Iroh replied with a look that Zuko knew all too well.

“No uncle don’t be so ridiculous. I would have noticed that. right?” Zuko defensively replied.

“Oh Zuko, Jet hasn’t been hiding or playing hints but if you don’t believe me then find out the hard way. You could just straight up ask him if he’s interested in you” Iroh smiled teasingly at his nephew while cleaning up the plates.

“Are you crazy? I’m not going to ask him! Besides I’m not interested in him if that’s the case...” Zuko nervously replied. Was he not interested? I mean if he wasn’t then why did he like Jet’s gentle touch on his scar? That was normal right? He was still interested in Mai so that wasn’t possible. Zuko tried very hard to push those thoughts away while his uncle let out a slight chuckle to his nephew’s response. He stood up told his uncle goodnight and went upstairs to take a shower and go to bed, this day was confusing and he could use some sleep, next to that he had a date tomorrow which he couldn’t miss.


	5. The Date with Mai

The next day Zuko woke up a bit late. He rushed on his way to school and luckily got to class on time. This day couldn’t pass by fast enough since he couldn’t wait to see Mai again. He could use some time to take his mind off Jet. After his last class, he hurried home, as he rushed down the hallway to get to the exit he accidentally bumped into Jet.

“Hold up pretty boy, you seem to be in a hurry, we are meeting tomorrow remember not today. I know that you can’t wait to see me~” 

“Ugh, I don’t have time for this Jet, I’ve got somewhere else to be” Zuko scowled as he continued to walk towards the exit. Jet was left with a confused expression as he watched Zuko leave the building.  
-

“Jet” Smellerbee placed a hand on his shoulder “Let’s go to that new restaurant today, I’ve heard that they serve a very good spaghetti, that’s your favorite right?” Smellerbee asked smilingly. Jet felt like snapping out of a trance as soon as smellerbee put a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah…, sure let’s do that” Jet replied with a nervous smile. He was very happy that smellerbee always knew how he felt or take his mind off things. A moment ago he had the urge to go after Zuko or ask him who he was meeting. He knew that it was ridiculous since Zuko just seemed to tolerate him now even though Jet felt like there was more to them somehow, but he wasn’t sure of course. Jet was always very upfront with flirting or his feelings but somehow he felt insecure when it came to Zuko. He felt like he didn’t want to mess anything up because it felt like he was losing too much. He imaged Zuko’s silly face with rice on his cheek, it was so adorable is what Jet thought to himself. God, he was in too deep and smellerbee knew that. He already told him to back off but of course, he wouldn’t listen.

-

Zuko hurried home and changed his casual clothes into something more interesting. He out on a nice button-up blouse which was all red and some black jeans. He ran downstairs to say goodbye to his uncle.

“You look like a million bucks Zuko, I’m sure that whoever you’re meeting is going to be absolutely thrilled when they see you! especially if that person happens to play rugby I definitely think that this will blow their mind” Iroh laughed while giving his nephew a proud glance.

“Wait what? Uncle, stop playing around with me It’s not funny.” Zuko scowled as his face turned slightly red at the words of his uncle and he awkwardly waved him goodbye.

Mai was already waiting outside and she waved at him as he approached her. She was wearing a lovely Bordeaux red dress made of silk. It complimented her figure very well and her hair wasn’t tied up, she was wearing it down. Zuko thought that that suited her more than the ponytail she wore before.

“Hey” Mai smiled.

“Hey… You look beautiful.” 

“You don’t look so bad yourself either, shall we go?” Mai smiled and Zuko nodded in agreement. The restaurant wasn’t so far away from the teashop, in fact, it was about 5 minutes walking. The new restaurant was beautifully styled with a lot of flowers in front of the shop and near the windows. The sealing of the restaurant almost looked like a fairy forest and had a lot of branches and flowers surrounding the lights, it was also a relatively big restaurant with a lot of people. It was beautiful and Zuko was amazed by the looks and beauty of it. Mai reserved them a spot near the second left window and the butler let them to their seats. As they sat down they ordered some drinks and had a look at the menu. Zuko loved to eat spicy food actually, he didn’t really know why but it had been something he genuinely loved to eat, especially chicken.

“May I ask if you and that silly team captain Jet have become friends? I see that you don’t seem to react so heated when he’s around. ” Mai curiously asked, she seemed to be genuinely interested and since she’s seen how Zuko reacted to Jet a few days ago that was a very natural thing to ask. Even though Zuko wasn’t sure what to tell her. That he and Jet shared their life long stories and now they’ve somewhat become friends? or not even friends he didn’t really know what to call them acquaintances?

“Ah yeah, I guess that he wasn’t all that bad after all. We aren’t really friends I think, we just get along.” Zuko hesitantly replied. He thought that this would properly answer the question since he didn’t feel like going into detail about the event in the shower.

“Well whatever you guys are now, I’m happy that he’s at least being nice to you as a friend since you’re completely his type. I mean it’s not a surprise to me really since he’s always dated guys that looked similar to you, not that those relationships lasted long though or even became a real thing. Jet is a big flirt but never seems to let anyone close or so the rumor goes. His exes either complained about him not being open with them or he broke up with them because he felt like they didn’t understand him. Ugh, he is such a crybaby sometimes anyways that’s why I was already glad that he hadn’t set his eyes on you.” Mai laughed. Zuko didn’t know what to answer since he was so confused. Jet used to break up with people because he never was open? or they didn’t understand him? What the hell did this mean, was he an exception? Jet told him everything he went through and touched his scar. Oh lord his head became chaos, what if Jet really liked him? No, that wasn’t possible he shouldn’t think about this on the date with Mai.

“Oh, I see..” Zuko barely said while quickly shoving some food into his mouth. He didn’t want to continue this topic and had to come up with another one quickly.

-

“Cheer up Jet! We are going to eat at a sick restaurant with your favorite food! Stop having that concerned look on your face.” Smellerbee said while slapping Jet on his back as they stepped off Jet’s motorbike.

“Alright alright, will you stop complaining about my mood then.” Jet smirked while he took his helmet off. They walked into the restaurant and got a seat near the back of the restaurant where a few fish tanks were filed with coy fish. Jet wasn’t a fan of too many decorations and stuff but this seemed to be a genuinely nice place to have dinner. A thought crossed his mind of asking Zuko out to go to this place he definitely thought that Zuko would look stunning in this lighting and a wide smile appeared on his face.

“Let me guess, you were thinking about Zuko, you know I get it if I liked guys then he’d definitely would be a potential dating partner, he is handsome.” smellerbee teasingly smiled at Jet.

“What? ugh okay, you got me, I mean I can’t deny that that isn’t true but jezus man you’re way too good at guessing my thoughts It’s scary smellerbee. I can’t even begin to explain how handsome Zuko is, I truly think that he’s the best looking guy I’ve ever liked not even beginning to mention the six-pack he has.” Jet admittingly replied while he scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“Speaking of Zuko Isn’t that him near the second window in the front of the restaurant? Oh, it seems that he’s not alone Isn’t that one of those cheerleader girls?” Smellerbee curiously pointed in their direction. Jet felt his stomach turn at the sight of Zuko and Mai. This was why Zuko was in such a hurry. God no, he was on a date with Mai and Jet felt like all his chances had flown out of the window. He grits his teeth in frustration and almost slammed his fist on the table as he looked at the two.

“Hey, behave yourself Jet! We’re in a restaurant, have your tantrum when we’re home. Besides I already told you that he wasn’t interested in you, you just had to learn it the hard way like usual.” Smellerbee hissed under his breathe at the Teen and gave him a slight kick under the table. Jet placed his head into his hands while letting out a sigh.

“I know! It’s just that it felt like there was more to it, the way that he leaned into my touch was something I can’t describe. I just -” He dragged his hands through his hair and looked back at the two “Ugh I don’t know I-” As he was about to say something him and Zuko locked eyes for a moment and Jet felt like he couldn’t breathe, Zuko looked slightly shocked and a tint of red flushed on his cheeks as he quickly looked away, Jet noticed that Mai tried to wipe some food from Zuko’s mouth but Zuko had declined her offer by using his own napkin instead. He felt so many thoughts enter his mind but one thought remained, without doubt, there was more to them then Zuko showed at first glance, he knew it! There definitely was more to it, even if it was something as small as declining a request. The thought of that was enough to put a small smile on Jet’s face and brought back a spark of hope and determination.

“Did you just see that smellerbee?” Jet’s smile widened into a pleasant grin.

“What? Zuko wiping his own mouth? He isn’t a baby Jet get over it.” Smellerbee replied while giving Jet an annoyed glance as they continued to look at the menu.

-

Zuko felt his face become warmer at the sudden sight of Jet. Shit! Jet was here? God no, out of all the days that he could have gone to the restaurant he chose today? All his thoughts that were gone had entered his mind yet again and he didn’t notice that he had some sauce on his cheek.

“You’ve got some sauce on your cheek, May I wipe it away for you?” Mai politely asked since it was near Zuko’s scar. He felt hesitant for a moment but hadn’t noticed that he automatically already picked up his own napkin to wipe away the mess.

“Thank you for the offer but that won’t be necessary, sorry, I seem to be a pretty sloppy eater sometimes.” Zuko nervously replied.

“That’s fine don’t worry about it” Mai gently replied while putting down the napkin that she originally offered.

Zuko somehow felt bad for turning her down with such a simple request but he just didn’t think that it was convenient for her to wipe away the mess he had made on his face. He thought about how stupid it must’ve looked. Then out of nowhere a specific thought hit him in the face. He did let Jet wipe away whatever was on his face yesterday without complaining for one single moment. Oh dear lord, was he giving the wrong signs? He knew that he couldn’t blame Jet since he willingly let him touch his face. This was all one big mess and he knew that it was partly his fault. He suddenly got the urge to take a look at Jet to see if he was checking on him but he knew that that would give off the wrong impression. So instead he decided that it was best to just continue to focus on Mai since that was his date after all.

“Would you like to have some dessert after? or would you like to leave after we’re done eating” Mai seemed to notice Zuko’s nervousness and offered him a way out, or well at least it felt like she did.

“I don’t have to get dessert but If you’d like some then it’s fine. After dinner, I could walk you home if you want.” Zuko looked at Mai with a questionable face since he wasn’t sure if she enjoyed the date as much. Which was sadly his fault since he’s been so tense about Jet being there. 

“Alright, It’s fine I can do without dessert and I won’t mind you walking me home.” Mai seemed to have a very gentle expression and as they finished to leave Zuko offered to pay for their meal, he thought that that was something boys should do on a first date and it was the least he could do for Mai. 

-

“Look smellerbee! They are leaving I think. Zuko’s paying the bill, I wonder If he’d ever do that for me if we went out, but I’d honestly love to see his cute little face when I’d pay for him hah. I wonder where they’ll be going next.” Jet intensely watched as Zuko and Mai got up.

“Oh god no Jet I know that look on your face, If you even THINK about going after them I’ll drag your ass back here immediately.” Smellerbee scowled at the way too suspicious Jet.

“Ah come one Smellerbee! They won’t notice I swear, just this once, please?~” Jet begged with puppy looking eyes while holding his hands as if he was praying. 

“No! what are you crazy!? Zuko has almost become an obsession It’s unhealthy Jet, let go of him! Besides that, we won’t ruin their night out.” Smeller bee hissed angrily at Jet and he gave him a look that showed that he was seriously going to stop Jet if he thought of going after them.

“Pfft obsession, as If, I just think that Zuko is an interesting human being. Am I allowed to think that? but fine WHATEVER. ugh” Jet annoyingly huffed and bit his lip in frustration as he watched Mai and Zuko leave.

-

Zuko opened the door for Mai and they left the warm restaurant. It was relatively cold outside but Mai was wearing a coat that was thick enough to make her feel warm. Zuko, on the other hand, was dumb enough to wear a jacket that wasn’t so warm but he didn’t want to let her know. It would have been embarrassing since he’s a man he should be able to take the cold. Mai’s home wasn’t that far from the restaurant it was a 20-minute walk, they didn’t walk too far from each other but they weren’t holding hands either. As soon as they got to Mai’s door she turned around facing Zuko.

“Thank you for your company tonight and thank you for walking me home. I had a good time.” Mai smiled.

“You’re welcome, I had a good time too” Zuko didn’t really know where to look. There was a silence between them and Zuko wasn’t entirely sure about what to do. He wasn’t used to this and neither was he good at these situations. As he was about to clear his throat to say something there was a loud noise of a motorbike in the distance. It both took them off guard.

“I-I should be going then… I’ll see you tomorrow at school” Zuko smiled at Mai who nodded a bit disappointed and waved him goodbye, he felt stupid for saying that but he didn’t think that it could have ended any better tonight. He turned around and walked home, It was 30 minutes to his house from Mai’s. It was even colder than it was back at Mai’s house and he crossed his arms to keep him warm. He heard the motorbike from before coming closer to him as he was walking down the street. He was waiting for it to pass him but instead, it stopped near him. Zuko looked up in confusion at the mysterious figure on the bike dressed in an all-black motor suit. The rider took off his helmet and Zuko’s eyes widened, It was Jet and as much as he hated it Jet looked damn well in that suit with the moonlight shining on his hair, it was almost like something out of an action movie with Jet as the main character.

“Hey pretty boy, you look like you could need a ride. Are you cold? You seem to be shivering, I have my jacket with me it’s in my bag if you’d like.” Jet smirked.

NO no no no, he was doomed, this whole day was meant to be normal and fun not a day full of Jet stalking him. As much as he wanted to disagree with this request he couldn’t deny the fact that he was indeed cold and that it was a relatively far walk. He weighed the pros and cons in his head and came to the conclusion that taking that ride wouldn’t hurt too much since it wouldn’t take that long to get home if they went by motor. Which then was equal to Jet leaving him alone sooner. Zuko narrowed his eyes as he took a deep breath.

“I don’t need your jacket but I guess that a ride home doesn’t sound all that bad. Just this once okay? don’t let anything go to your head or something I don’t want a lift to school every morning.” Zuko hesitantly replied at the dark-haired teen waiting in suspense for him to join.

“Fine fine, whatever you want mister I complain about every offer of help I get. Now, what are you waiting for hop on!” Jet replied with a silly voice while putting on his own helmet and he reached out to the back of his bike to get another helmet. Zuko approached hesitantly while reaching out for the helmet Jet was holding as he stood near his bike.

“Nonono, come here I’ll put it on your head.” Jet swayed his finger around in disagreement and put the helmet on Zuko’s head without asking. He then adjusted the straps gently and made a gesture of which Zuko assumed that it meant that he could sit down. Zuko rolled his eyes while letting out an annoyed sigh and carefully hopped on the back of the bike. He tried to place his feet on the little paddles on the side which were sticking out. He wasn’t really sure what he should hold on to so instead he placed his hands behind his back to grip onto the back of the bike.

“You’ll fall off if you hold on to that, I’ll assure you that this baby can go fast. I’d advise you to hold on to me instead. Don’t be such a pussy Zuko and just hold on tight okay?” Jet smirked while he placed a hand with care on his bike as if it was an animal he wanted to pet.

“Tsk, shut up already and go” Zuko angrily replied as he lightly held onto Jet with protest. Jet, on the other hand, had the time of his life letting out a silly laugh while he took off with his motorbike at a rather fast pace. Zuko knew that Jet would do something so silly to tease him because it forced Zuko to hold him tight since he almost felt like falling off the motor. He cursed under his breath as he pulled himself closer to Jet to readjust his grip. Even though Jet annoyed him he did enjoy the ride, It was really cool to ride on a motorbike at night. Jets suit felt surprisingly warm so after all, it wasn’t the worst thing that he ever had to do. He tried to take his mind off the rider by looking at the scenery as they passed a river. After about 7 minutes (which for the record felt like forever to Zuko) they arrived at his uncle’s teashop. He stepped off the bike and thanked Jet for the lift, he turned around and walked towards his backdoor. As he walked away Jet grabbed his hand and Zuko’s heart somehow managed to skip a beat at the sound of his name.

“Zuko” Jet said in a soft tone. God Zuko hated it when Jet used that tone since it was the most gentle way someone ever used to pronounce his name. “You are still wearing my helmet you silly. Unless you want me to give you a ride to school tomorrow” Jet smirked as he turned Zuko around.

“Oh, I-I see, here” Zuko took off his helmet while he swallowed the salvia left in his mouth. They locked eyes for a few seconds as Jet reached out to take his helmet. He still had his hand around Zuko’s wrist. Zuko felt his face slowly heating up and he looked at the stars to avoid eye contact. Jet smiled at him while slowly letting go and shifted his glance at the sky above them filled with stars. He let out a soft laugh, it was almost like a whisper but loud enough for Zuko to hear it. He saw the remains of Jets breath forming a foggy cloud in the air.

“Beautiful isn’t it? It almost feels like you can touch them sometimes. Anyways, I’ll see you tomorrow... goodnight Zuko” Jet looked at Zuko as if he was a fragile object which was very dear to him while he turned on his motorbike and slowly disappeared into the darkness. It felt like the stars laying above them were like a warm blanket surrounding him. Zuko couldn’t help but feel like it was the sweetest expression he’s seen of Jet and It worried him since he could feel his heart almost beating out of his chest. No one has ever looked at him like that not even Mai. This was not good. nope, this wasn’t good at all. 

As Zuko walked into his house all he wanted to do is sleep and never wake up again. The house was dark and there weren’t any lights on except for in the kitchen. Zuko tried to sneak upstairs because the last thing he wanted to do is confront his uncle about Jet. He slowly stepped up the stairs but it made a slight noise to which he immediately stopped. He prayed that his uncle hadn’t noticed the small sounds that came from him. 

“Ah Zuko!, Did I just hear a motorbike? Were you out with Jet after all since he brought you back?” Iroh curiously asked. Shit! Zuko thought to himself now he couldn’t come up with any excuses since his uncle clearly knew that Mai didn’t ride a motorbike and that Zuko wouldn’t just hop on any strangers motorbike.

“He just offered me a lift no big deal uncle, now if you don’t mind me then I’d like to go to sleep.” Zuko scowled at his uncle while walking upstairs. Iroh knit his brows at the annoyed response of his nephew.

As he changed into his pajama’s he tried to do some exercises to clear his mind so that he could sleep properly since the only person haunting him right now was Jet. If only he could forget about this silly asshole then his sleep schedule would be a lot better. As he was doing a few push-ups he heard the door open just slightly. He felt his uncle’s eyes on him as he pushed himself from the ground.  
“I won’t bother you nephew but I’d like to ask if you had fun tonight?” Iroh’s voice was gentle. Zuko let out a sigh as he got into his bed and had his eyes half-lidded.

“Yes I had fun tonight, the dinner with Mai was nice… I just happened to run into Jet on my way home from her house.” Zuko’s voice was quiet but enough to reach his uncle. On Iroh’s face appeared a small smile as he closed the door and Zuko slowly fell asleep to the sound of rain dripping on the window.


	6. Mai's Frustration

The next morning Zuko woke up tense. Today Jet was taking him “somewhere” or well god knows where he just hoped that he wasn’t kidnapped by Jet or something since he seemed to have shown stalkerish behavior already. It wouldn’t be a surprise to him if Jet was onto something just to tease him when they would be alone. He just hoped that it wasn’t anything romantic because he wasn’t ready for any of that stuff. What if Jet wanted to ask him out? Or worse, what if this was a date?! Oh god, should he just skip school? but his uncle would probably notice that he’s not sick and that he’s hiding from Jet. He talked some courage into himself and walked downstairs to get some breakfast. 

Surprisingly enough his uncle had made him some breakfast. It was eggs with avocado, Zuko liked eggs on bread a lot and his uncle knew that very well. He didn’t know why but he was grateful.

“Here, you should eat well today. You also have practice today right?” Iroh smiled at his nephew. 

“Thank you, Yeah I do and I don’t think that I’ll be able to help in the shop since Jet is taking me somewhere after practice.” Zuko quietly said while eating his bread with eggs.

“Ah, I see, So where is he taking you exactly?” Iroh smiled while sitting next to his nephew.

“I don’t know but It probably won’t take long, he wanted to show me something. if I don’t return by night call 911” Zuko gave his uncle a playful glance and his uncle laughed.

“I don’t think that would be necessary, he will take good care of you” Iroh patted his nephew’s shoulder while taking a sip of his tea. Zuko stood up and put his plate in the dishwasher. He grabbed his coat and waved his uncle goodbye, on his way to school he took a moment to breathe and enjoy the sunrise. It was beautiful around this hour and it felt like all his worries flew away. As he neared school he saw Jets motorbike standing in front of the gate, he assumed that Jet would take them to wherever he wanted to go by motor.

The day went by a bit too quickly for Zuko’s liking and before he knew it it was time for a break. He usually sat alone or at a table where some of his other teammates would sit but he wouldn’t really talk much. They could only talk about rugby anyway and even though Zuko liked rugby he wasn’t obsessed with it. Today the school cafeteria had pancakes, it was a rare thing to be served since it was usually some kind of mashed potato or whatever the cafeteria lady put in there. Zuko took a bite from his pancake as he scanned the cafeteria, he hadn’t seen Mai yet. She was usually sitting four tables away from him with the other cheerleaders. 

“Can I sit next to you?”

Zuko was surprised to hear a females voice behind him. It was Mai. Thank god it wasn’t Jet is what he thought to himself.

“Yes, that’s fine.” Zuko put his bag off the seat next to him and Mai sat down relatively close to him. He didn’t really know if she was upset with him for yesterday or not but he wasn’t sure about what she wanted from him. Especially since they never sat together at lunch.

“Is it okay for you to spend your break here? I usually see cheerleaders being very close to each other. How about Ty lee?”

“It’s fine, I wanted to sit next to you today. Did you get home safely yesterday? You didn’t text me after you got home.”

“Oh-h I- yes I got home safely, you don’t have to worry about me. I was really tired and fell asleep almost immediately after I got home.” Zuko knew that he was lying, well not entirely since they were half-truths but since he knew Mai’s opinion on Jet he thought that it was better to keep the events of yesterday to himself. 

-

“Ugh, Mai again.. can’t she just leave him alone!” Jet threw his hands in the air in an annoying gesture as he leaned back in his chair. “ He obviously isn’t into -”   
“He isn’t into you to genius, at least they have been out on a date together. What did the two of you do? Right, nothing.” Smellerbee sarcastically scowled at the furious Teen sitting in front of him.

“Oh shut up, guess who brought him home from that so-called ‘Date’ ” Jet leaned forward on the table to show all his teeth in a wide grin and played around with the toothpick stuck between his teeth.

“Oh god no please don’t tell me that you actually went after them. I swear to god, I’ll drag your ass to pieces after practice.” Smellerbee hissed.

“Awww, that’s too bad since I’ve got a so-called ‘Date’ with Zuko.” Jets grin widened and smellerbee could tell that he wasn’t lying since he’s got that well known all too pleased with himself smug on his face that proved that it was true.

“Hmmm I see, you either drugged him or made him lose a bet because I don’t believe that he is the type of guy to willingly go on a date with someone as cocky as you. Unless.. god he doesn’t know that it’s a date does he?” Smellerbee raised one eyebrow at the dark-haired teen sitting in front of him. Jet rolled his eyes and hissed something under his breath as a response to the nonsense coming out of Smellerbee’s mouth.

-

As Zuko and Mai finished their food she stood up next to Zuko and took his plate as well.

“I have to go now but I’ll look at your practice this afternoon since the cheerleaders will be done just before you guys start. ” Mai smiled and left to go back to her class. Zuko couldn’t even reply to what she had said and was left with his mouth half-open as his eyes followed her.

If she was going to come to practice then that meant that she would see him leaving with Jet. How in the world was he going to explain that to her, especially after everything she told him. He was going to give off the wrong impression by going with Jet but he already agreed to do so, he couldn’t back down now. God even if he wanted to Jet would not let him get away with this so easily. He was pretty sure that Jet would go as far as carrying him off the court or even kidnapping him to get him along. He had to come up with something or at least have Mai leave before she can notice that he’s off with Jet. Oh no, it almost sounded like a secret date in his head and he hated the thought of it.

It was finally time for practice, Darran told them to start with a 10 minute warm-up and then get into teams. Zuko knew what this meant since Jet loved to pair up with him and since he was the team captain he used his position to take advantage over who he chose. Oh and not to forget about the fact that he convinced Darren that it was better for Zuko if they worked together. For the so called “experience” that he seemed to lack. Whatever Jet wanted to show today was better worth all the trouble he caused him.

“Heyy Zukoo~ I want to test your throwing strength today” Jet playfully placed a hand on Zuko’s neck as they were walking to the side of the field. 

“Don’t touch me like that in public Jet, hands off!” Zuko scowled at the teen while pushing Jets hand away. Mai wasn’t anywhere to be seen yet but he sure as hell didn’t want her to walk in on any surprises.

“Hooh not in public huh? well, I can touch you like that in private if that’s what you wish for” Jet gave him a dirty look and Zuko’s face flushed red as the meaning became clear.

“Not like that!” Zuko hissed while looking away in anger, he let out a growl but Jet only laughed in amusement. “Alright Mister complain, now don’t worry I won’t do anything weird we have to prepare for our next game anyway.” That’s right Zuko almost forgot that they’ll be going up against Ahi high school. The school which his dad funded and where his sister was manager of the team.

He hates that school with a passion, his sister always trained those boys to be fearless beasts and they did not always play by the rules. They have dominated a lot of schools already by using brute force in matches. He was determined to destroy them this year and even though he hated saying this he knew that Jet was the perfect person to fight that school. 

“Okay let’s get down to business, let’s start with one on one practice. Would be good to check on your speed.” Jet stood in front of him and made a gesture which Zuko assumed meant that he could start. Zuko held the ball in one arm and charged forward so that he could run towards the safe zone where he should be. Jet played as defender and had to stop Zuko from getting to the safe point.

Zuko put all his speed and stamina into his run while protecting the ball, he was fast but underestimated the speed that Jet had. Of course Jet was fast and strong and whatever other talent he possessed in rugby. It was annoying at this point really. Zuko tried to dodge Jets tackle but failed miserably. They collapsed onto the ground as Jet pulled Zuko down and rolled on top of him to keep him down. By this point Zuko had dropped the ball and Jet held his hands pinned above his head. Jet was strong, too strong for him to beat in an one on one and the asshole knew it. As he was about to scowl at the pleased Jet leaning on top of him a female voice spoke before he could.

“Don’t you think that It’s a bit unfair to pin someone down like that?” Mai’s voice was fierce even Zuko could tell. She had arrived at the wrong time since this wasn’t the kind of impression he wanted to give at all. Jet looked up at her with a wide grin on his face almost as if he had won the lottery.

“Looks like I’ve won” He smirked and got off Zuko slowly while keeping an eye on Mai. Zuko could feel the tension between the two and he knew that Mai wasn’t blind. Jets expression spoke more than a thousand words and he hated it. 

“Pathetic, You can’t win by using force, you should know that by now” Mai took her glare of Jet and went to focus her attention on Zuko who was still laying on the ground. She reached out her hand to help him up.

“Tsk, As if -” “Jet” Zuko gave Jet a glare to back off “No, we’re taking a break. I’ll meet you in a few minutes.” Jet nodded while giving Mai an unpleasant glance as he walked away.

“Sorry about that” Zuko looked concerned at the riled up Mai in front of him.

“Just because he’s the captain doesn’t mean that he can use you as one of his dolls to play with. If you want me to learn him a l-” “No, I can take care of myself… but thank you for your concern.” Zuko put a hand on Mai’s shoulder to calm her down. She took a look at Jet who was standing next to smellerbee and let out a frustrated sigh.

“You know I’m not stupid… He obviously has his eyes on you and isn’t going to let you go.” Her voice was filling the air with tension. Zuko deep down knew that all of that was true but he didn’t want to admit that. Because if he did he would have to admit that his feelings towards Jet weren’t a hundred percent pure friendly. There was something about Jet which lit up a fire inside of him, some feelings Zuko had never felt before. But in all honesty he had no idea how he should go about these feelings, he wasn’t good at any of it. Voicing them out loud would destroy his mind, he just couldn’t, not now. It was so confusing since he also liked Mai but he wasn’t sure if it was true love or something else. He needed time to figure out everything for himself.

“... I-I know but I’ll be fine Mai. We’re playing rugby after all and I need to win the next tournament. It’s important to me, I’ll update you on that story later, see you tomorrow okay?” Zuko turned to face her and gave her a small smile which indicated that she didn’t have to worry. She nodded in silence and Zuko returned to the team.

-

“You know Jet, If I didn’t know you I would’ve called the police and turn you in for stalking or maybe even kidnapping. Besides If I won’t kill you for this one then Mai will, goodluck with that buddy.” Smellerbee gave him a slap on the back.

“Don’t worry, he was mine from the moment that I touched his face. I saw it in his eyes, he doesn’t truly love her and she knows it. Doesn’t mean that I don’t dislike her, I hate her. His taste in women is awful.” Jet smirked in confidence.

“His taste in men isn’t good either.” Smellerbee laughed. “Besides when did you even get close enough to touching his face?”

“In the showers” Jet made a dirty expression while moving his eyebrows in an suggesting manner.

“Dude! My time in the showers will never be the same again man! Get the two of you a room or something” Smellerbee made a choking sounds and both of them laughed.

-

As Zuko neared the team Jet walked towards him, the training was almost over and after that he was supposed to go with Jet. “Zuko, I’m on my motorbike today so you can ride with me. I’ll get changed and wait for you to join me later okay?” Jet gave him a soft smile and ran off to the changing rooms. This was it, the moment had come for him to be kidnapped or well to go with Jet that is. Well whatever, what was the difference anyway.


	7. The Date With Jet

After some time he changed into his casual clothes and stepped outside the dressing room. He walked along the field towards the gate where Jet was waiting for him leaning against his motorbike. He almost seemed to be impatient. As soon as he saw Zuko he walked towards him with a helmet.

“Come on pretty boy, time is a precious thing you know. Here let me strap this on for you.” Jet said while putting on the helmet over Zuko’s head.

“Hey, take it easy I can put on my own helmet you know.” Zuko scowled.

“Yeah yeah, now come”Jet grabbed Zuko’s hand and guided him towards his motorbike. Zuko knew that if he would protest against this strange gesture that it would only last longer so he decided to keep his mouth shut and got onto the motorbike. He placed his hands around Jet’s waist and placed his head on his back. He closed his eyes and said to himself ‘This will all be over soon’.

They drove for around 30 minutes before they reached their destination. Zuko had no idea where they were since he and his uncle were new to this province, they’ve never been far from the city before. It was a beautiful landscape with view on a lake. There was one big jasmine tree on a small piece of land that was surrounded by water. It was near the middle of the lake and it looked like there were candles and a small blanket under the tree? The tree was beautiful though, it had pink leaves that were in full blossom.

“Alright we’re here, this is the most beautiful place here. My mom used to take me here when I was little and we would picnic in the middle of the lake on the small island you see right over there.” Jet pointed at the place he set up under the tree.

“I-I see… It is indeed beautiful, how do we get there though?” Zuko curiously asked as he neared the lake to look at the view.

“We swim” Jet playfully glared at Zuko who looked like he had just seen a ghost. “No silly, see that little boat over there we’ll use that to cross the water.” Jet smirked as he made a gesture. Zuko looked over to the side and there was indeed a boat. Jet went through all this trouble for him? but why? Jet liked him but this seemed like it was a lot of work for someone.

Both of them got into the boat and Jet started to paddle. Zuko took a look around as the sun was setting down and he let out a sigh as he enjoyed the view. It was silent out here away from all the noises and chaos that the city had. Zuko hadn’t gone on such a trip in a while, sure his uncle would take him out sometimes but it was nothing like this.

“Soo, I’ve been told that you like spicy food. Now I so happen to have chicken wings which are relatively spicy.” Jet grinned at the now shocked looking Zuko.

“What how did you? ugh Uncle...” Zuko rolled his eyes in annoyance. Of course Jet asked his uncle about his favourite food. But wait a second that meant that his uncle knew about this?! Oh god no it was a date wasn’t it. Jet laughed in amusement as they neared the small island. “Here we are your highness, you can step off the boat, here let me take your han-” “No thanks.” Zuko hissed as he jumped off the boat.

“So, why did you bring me here?” Zuko asked while sitting down on the blanket surrounded by candles and food. He took a plate with chicken wings since he was very hungry after practice.

“Well you know” Jet took a deep breathe after he sat down next to Zuko under the tree “My mom always told me a story about two long lost lovers who found each other under this tree. When I was little she told me that whoever I may love in the future that If I take them here the tree would grand my wish. My significant other would become mine.” Jet spoke softly and carefully. Zuko could feel the honest and genuine care that Jet had towards him. Heck maybe even love. He didn’t know what to say, he opened his mouth but he couldn’t speak. His feelings were on display out and about. He wasn’t even capable of facing his own feelings so how could he even respond to this? He could feel Jet looking at him as he got closer. He felt his breath, his warmth heck he could almost hear his heartbeat. Zuko’s head felt like exploding and his mind was spinning with thoughts.

“You look beautiful Zuko, your scar itself is beautiful. In this world, people like us should stick together since we only have each other to rely on.” Jet smiled while cupping his hand around Zuko’s scar and gently stroking it. His touch was warm and gentle like usual. Zuko wanted to scream in anger and push Jet away and tell him that he didn’t love him or felt anything for him at all but he couldn’t, he knew that he would be lying. 

It almost felt like he was stuck to this teens touch, magnetic like something was taking over him. He just couldn’t bring out any word of disagreement so instead, he quietly accepted Jet’s embrace and looked at the ground. Jet slid his hand to Zuko’s neck and then slowly to his chin in order to lift Zuko’s head up. As Zuko looked into Jet’s eyes he felt like he knew what was about to come next. He wasn’t ready for this not now, not tomorrow, he needed time to think. He felt like a swarm of emotions came over him as he saw Jets lips. They looked soft and were plump and red and ‘oh lord jesus I can’t’ is what Zuko thought to himself.

He placed a hand on Jets shoulder to stop him. Jets eyes shot open and he looked at Zuko with an anxious expression. The air was filled with tension and Zuko knew that he couldn’t turn back time since Jets expression is one that he wished he never saw. He looked so disappointed and hurt…

“Jet” Zuko breathed heavily while holding Jets hand as he looked him in the eyes “...I-It’s not your fault I-I need time...” 

Jets expression softened as he squeezed Zuko’s hand and sat back.  
“I see, I’m sorry I should have known. Just know that I respect your choices, take as long as you need but just keep in mind that I’m here for you Zuko.” Jet smiled softly as he leaned back against the tree.

Zuko felt his heartache, everything Jet had done for him was so amazing. He looked down at the ground and took a deep breath “Jet.. you make me feel a certain way I guess. I just also like Mai and I don’t know what this between us is.”

“I know that you can’t tell and that’s okay. I’ll leave you to it and have you sort out things with Mai. I’m patient enough for someone that’s worth my time. Which you are Zuko.” Jet smirked and gave Zuko a playful poke after stroking his cheek. Zuko felt so relieved, he had been so confused with himself lately that this time or break thing was really what he needed. He needed to sort things out to define what the feeling was that kept him so attached to Jet. 

It was getting later in the night and both of them sat against the tree watching the view. He could hear Jet fiddle the teeth in his mouth while the sun slowly started to settle in the distance of the lake. It was beautiful and it somehow felt magical sitting here in the presence of Jet’s body warmth. Zuko felt his eyelids becoming heavy as he leaned down a bit against the tree. Today had been a long and tiring day full of many impressions and emotions and he felt so tired that he could fall asleep. As Zuko slowly dozed off his head leaned towards Jet’s shoulder.

As Zuko woke up to the feeling of fingers stroking his hair he quickly got up. “Oh no, what time is it I need to get to my uncle before he gets worried” Zuko searchingly sat up with half lidded eyes.

“Don’t worry, you were only gone for a few minutes. You look so cute when you sleep.” Jet smirked while swiping away some droll from Zuko’s mouth. Jet had put his jacket over Zuko and kept him warm by holding him. Zuko felt kind of embarrassed that he fell asleep against Jet and more so that he drooled a bit ew.

“I’m not cute, I think that it’s better if I go home now.” Zuko took off the jacket and returned it to Jet who declined. “You keep it, you seem to be cold anyway. Besides you can give it back to me tomorrow. Now mister I wanna go home let’s get you back to your uncle shall we.” Jet grinned while putting the jacket tight around Zuko. He hated it when Jet treated him like a baby but at the same time it was comforting to have someone care about him the way that Jet did. They packed the picnic supplies and got back into the small boat to get off the island.

When they returned at the back of the teashop Zuko got off the back of the motorbike. He handed the helmet to Jet. Unlike usual Jet got off his motorbike while putting the helmet Zuko gave him on his motorbike. Jet never got off his bike while saying goodbye since he normally would wish him goodnight and drive away. Zuko didn’t really know what it meant but maybe he wanted to do something to his motor. Nonetheless Zuko wanted to thank Jet for today, it was something he hadn’t experienced in a while.

“Thank you for the gesture and all the food you offered me today.. I had fun.” Zuko said while giving him a questioning look.

“I had fun too Zuko.. I’m glad that you enjoyed today and I hope that we can do this more often in the future.” Jets expression was soft but it seemed like there was something else he wanted to say. It felt like there was a heavy weight to his words.

“Well.. I should be going then. See you tomorrow.” Zuko didn’t really know where to look he figured that he was weak for Jets soft expression and felt his face get a little flushed. He blamed it on the cold outside. Zuko turned around to walk away but he couldn't. 

“Zuko I..” Jet pulled his arm and turned him around to face him. They were so close at this point that he could feel the warm breathe out of Jets nose onto his skin. Jets expression was full of love and caress. His eyes scanned Zuko’s lips and he could feel the tension between them filling the air. It almost seemed like Jet completely forgot what he was about to say as he lovingly stared deeply into Zuko’s eyes while stroking softly over his scar.

Zuko felt himself losing control of any rational thought when he locked eyes with Jet. He felt his heart burst out of his chest and his heart felt like it screamed kiss him as Jet continued to touch his scar. God he was so gentle and Zuko knew that there was no way back if he kissed Jet right now but damn he wanted to, it almost felt like he had no choice.

‘Fuck it’ Zuko thought scowling half at himself while grabbing the back of Jets hair and locking their lips. The kiss was fast but intense Jet was holding on tightly to Zuko’s waist and neck. Zuko felt his face heath up even more and leaned into the teens mouth to continue a deeper kiss. Jet was a good kisser he couldn’t lie about that, damn was there even something he wasn’t good at? If Zuko didn’t like him as much he would have been more annoyed by that. Once they broke their kiss both of them were panting. “I could taste you all day you know. Also, does this mean that I win?” Jet smirked.

“No silly I still need time to think about everything...this, what I just did.” Zuko rolled his eyes at Jets silly response. He felt like he was crazy and he sure as hell did not want to know what his uncle would say and how much fun the both of them would make out of Zuko for giving in so easily.

“Well you definitely can’t think straight anymore after that passionate kiss that you just gave me. I know that I’m irresistible but damn you wanted me badly” Jet grinned widely while letting out a silly chuckle. Zuko knew that Jet was all too pleased with himself after sort of making him do this. 

“Pfft as if ! you were the one looking at me as if you could eat me like a hungry wolf for its prey. I..y-you just gave me no choice.” Zuko scowled at the laughing teen while looking away in embarrassment.

“Suree, you just can’t admit that you secretly like me more then you claim to. It’s fine at least your eyes betray you everytime I look into them.” Jets smile softened and he kissed Zuko’s forehead while letting him go slowly. Zuko tried to seem annoyed by that but he couldn’t help but blush and a small smile appeared on his face. He knew that his eyes revealed way more to Jet then he liked but he just couldn’t stop it from happening.

They waved each other goodbye and Zuko went inside to meet his uncle who had been sitting at the kitchen table playing a game of chess against himself.

“Ah Zuko! You’re back you took long. Was it good?” Iroh smiled happily at his nephew who took a seat at the table.

“Hold up, good? Wait what uncle? Have you been watching us?” Zuko felt his face light on fire at his uncle's assumptions and hoped deeply that his uncle didn’t watch whatever happened outside because that was embarrassing.

“I haven’t seen anything but I can guess by the expression you’re making that it was a fun night.” Iroh smiled in a playful manner. Zuko knew that his uncle could see right through him unfortunately. 

“It was nice actually, I had dinner and he took me to some place special to him. I ehm he.. He likes me and I don’t know what to do. It’s not like I don’t feel the same way I just don’t know how to deal with all of this.” Zuko looked down at the chess pieces in front of him while knitting his brows in frustration. Even Though he had kissed Jet he was still hung up on most of his feelings especially since he had been going out with Mai. It almost felt like he was cheating on her even though they weren’t even together.

“Hmm you’re worried about that girl aren’t you? Listen Zuko If you truly felt the same way about her as you do for Jet then Jet wouldn’t even be an option right now. I get that this is confusing but Jet is someone that can give you the time and space you need to process everything. Follow your heart Zuko. I think that you and I both know who your heart truly wants.” Iroh sat down to his nephew and patted his hair while Zuko nodded in silence. It was nice to be like this for a moment where he didn’t need to think about anything.

“Now why don’t you go to bed and think about it tomorrow? It’s already late and I think that you could use some sleep to process this.” Iroh smiled as he stood up to clean the table.

“I guess that you’re right, thank you uncle.” Zuko said while heading upstairs. He knew deep down that his heart belonged to Jet but he just didn’t want to push Mai away. He needed to face her about this too and he just didn’t know how. He didn’t want to hurt her, after all this wasn’t her fault. He was stupid enough to fall for an edgy boy with a toothpick in his mouth, oh lord, was that his taste in men? is what he thought as he put a hand on his forehead. He felt like he was going to have a headache of all the thoughts entering his mind.

As soon as Zuko laid in bed he tried to clear his head for a moment. Tomorrow was the day that he was going to talk to Mai and sort everything out for himself. He knew that he had to be honest to her and to himself even if it meant that she would get mad at him.


	8. Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh Im so sorry that this part got here sooo late!! :< I really hope that you guys who have been reading are still enjoying the story. I am so happy with the amount of reads that it has gotten so far. I am sometimes stuck on where I am going with the story so thats why It's taking me longer than I anticipated it to be. Anyways enjoy reading!

The next morning Zuko stood up early and got down into the kitchen where Iroh was already sipping on a cup of tea. He made himself a quick breakfast and texted Mai that he needed to talk to her after school. Zuko hadn’t slept well at all and it was definitely showing.

“You don’t look good at all Zuko are you sick? Look at those dark circles under your eyes.” Iroh said while he put his teacup down.

“Not now Uncle I’m in a hurry” Zuko muffled while forcing a piece of bread in his mouth before leaving to head to school. 

“Ah I see, good luck today Zuko” Iroh gave his nephew a look of care and concern before Zuko left.

Once Zuko got to school he ran into Jet. God not now is what he thought to himself. He couldn’t handle the annoying comments of victory Jet was going to make about last night's events. Even Though Zuko knew that he would give him the time he needed. Jet still had to actually let him do this on his own. Zuko was already nervous about the whole situation and he felt like Jet wouldn’t make it any better right now.

“Ah, I’m surprised you actually came after last night. Thought that I’d never see you again.” Jet said on a playful tone while winking

Zuko let out an annoyed sigh “Jet please not now I have some things I need to take care of . I’ll text you okay?” Zuko put a hand on Jet’s shoulder to reassure him.

“Oh.. Okay. Just-” But before Jet could finish his sentence Zuko already ran off.

-

Smellerbee saw the interaction between the two and made his way to Jet since he seemed a little off.

“Listen I’m sure that whatever it is that Zuko has to do that he probably needs to do it alone. He doesn’t need your help right now.” 

“I know.. I just.. we went on that supposed “date” last night and it felt like he finally gave in to me and wanted to be with me. At school, it feels like he is stressed and that stupid girl Mai’s on his mind and ugh... I know that he needs time to do this. It’s just… sometimes it feels like he doesn’t let me close especially at school.” Jet said while looking away and biting his lip out of frustration.

“Can you blame him? Give him a break he just recently gave in to the number one fuckboy of the school with edgy hair. Besides Zuko isn’t someone to just jump into a relationship. He needs time you asshole. It seems to me that you, Jet, are a bit jealous of the fact that your “crush” is not giving you attention right now but instead is focussed on Mai. ” Smellerbee said while messing with Jet’s hair.

“HEY! My hair is NOT edgy! Neither am I jealous of that.. women pfft… well.. maybe ugh. Listen, I know damn well that he needs time and of course I’m willing to give that to him. I just wished that all those problems were over for him and that I could actually help him. If mister “I solve all my problems alone” would let me..” Jet replied while pushing away Smellerbee’s hand.

“I know, let it go for now. He’ll come to you when things are going better for him I’m sure of that. Now let’s head back to class before we get killed since you skipped the last class to prepare your kidnapping “Date”. ” Smellerbee said while laughing. Jet gave him an annoyed eye roll while following him to class.

-

Zuko asked to see Mai at the cheerleaders part of the field. As he came close Mai was already there leaning against the fence. Her training just ended and she seemed out of breath. 

“I’m glad that you wanted to talk, Zuko I’ve been meaning to also tell you something which is very important. I think It’s something you should know..” Mai said while looking down at her shoes. It felt weird seeing Mai like this after all Zuko couldn’t think of anything that she had to say other than an “I don’t like you enough” or a “I’ve seen that you’ve been hanging out a lot with Jet lately so I’ll let go of whatever was going on between us kinda thing.”

“I also have something to tell you but if your problem is really urgent then I guess that you can go first?” Zuko said while raising a brow in confusion.

“Well.. I don’t really know how I should bring this up to you but you might have heard that my parents run this school. They are very traditional people and lately the school hasn’t been doing so well financial wise. We are getting support from a school called Ahi highschool. My parents know that the owner of the school has a son and his son turns out to be you... Once they heard that you and I were kind of dating they wanted me to get into a relationship with you for the reputation of the family and the school. I didn’t know that it was your dad until now.. and your dad apparently sponsors our school..” Mai looked frustrated and sad.

Zuko didn’t know what to say for a moment. He was too busy thinking his mind was spinning and becoming a chaos. His DAD, his fucking dad once again made sure that he got himself involved with him. Out of anger Zuko hit the fence Mai was leaning against and she quickly took a step backwards.

“Z-Zuko, please.. I know that you’re upset but we don’t have to do this. I already told my parents that we aren’t dating anymore and that we don’t want to do this.. ” Mai looked concerned as Zuko’s brows were still knit in frustration. 

Zuko bit his lips and sighed while saying “Fine, I’ll do it for you. As of now we can pretend to be dating in order for this school to continue on. I won’t let my dad ruin anything for you or for me personally. I just can’t stand it.”

Mai looked confused. “But Zuko we don’t have to do -” “No. I know what happens if we don’t, I’ll have to leave this school and me and my uncle have to move again. I won’t let this man ruin my life.” Zuko said while clenching his fists. He felt so much anger right now and frustration. He knew that he needed to calm down before he would literally punch someone, so he decided to walk away from Mai and go home. He knew that she wouldn’t stop him since she knew that he needed some space to process this right now. The only place where he would calm down right now is with his uncle.


End file.
